A week before state lawmakers convene to consider redistricting, the issue has made for strange bedfellows in Forsyth County.
A special public forum, organized by local Republican, Democrat and Tea Party officials, drew close to 100 people Monday night to lodge their concerns over new district maps for local, state and federal representation.
"We ought to keep Forsyth County whole," said Dan Coleman, a resident who referredto the current congressional map that separates the southern tip of the county into another district.
Public sentiment was unanimous on that point. The political triumvirate proposed a congressional district that included Forsyth, Cherokee, Hall, Dawson, Lumpkin and part of Habersham counties. Party representatives said this tier of counties had more in common with each other than with core metro Atlanta counties.
Public sentiment was more divided over the county's proposed redistricting of commission districts.
"There's something fishy about this," said Richard Ward, a resident alluding to a proposal that moves the 1st District east over a highway to include a strip of land with only a few residents.
"Why make that change?" he asked.
Forsyth's proposed district map looks roughly the same as the current map adopted 10 years ago, but there are some shifts in the five commission and school board districts.
District 5 hugs the western shore of Lake Lanier, which would mean Commissioner Jim Boff would have to cross into two other districts to cover his entire constituency. Boff is not pleased.
"I don't like it all, but I can't think of a legal reason to stop it," he said. "I've got to teach fish to vote."
Redistricting, on a local level, has not generated the same public fervor in other metro counties.
The closest is DeKalb County, where the issue is under discussion in its planning committee. District 7 Commissioner Stan Watson hosted a public forum on the subject on Monday night and has two more scheduled later this month.
Tiffany Davis, spokesperson for Fulton County, said the County Commission had not formally considered the issue. Likewise, Gwinnett County has not brought the matter up before the full commission. Fulton County has no commission seats up for election until 2013. Gwinnett's next county and school board elections are in 2012.
Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee has submitted a proposed redistricting map to state reapportionment officials for review. Commissioners are likely to vote on the map this month and submit it to the Legislature. Cobb's realignments are due largely to population increases in the northwestern part of the county.
Forsyth officials are scheduled to meet later this week to finalize a map they will then submit to state lawmakers.
Those drawing the maps must consider keeping together communities with similar interests and ensuring that districts have roughly an equal number of constituents.
About the Author
